Snow Rescue: A Ludwig Bowler Tale
by alynwa
Summary: Originally written for Picfic Tuesday on LJ. The picture at left was one of the prompts. A ski trip goes awry.


Wolf Schmidt checked his watch for what seemed the one hundredth time in fifteen minutes as he stared out the window of the chalet he had rented in the San Juan Mountains just a few miles from his home in Ouray, Colorado. He turned toward the man sitting near the fire reading a magazine. "Illya, it's not like Eunice to stay out on the slopes this long; the shadows are lengthening. I doubt that Napoleon, even with all his charm, could entice her to stay out there. I am worried."

Illya leaned his head back against the chair. He was also worried; he had read the same paragraph four times. He and Napoleon had come to spend a long weekend skiing with his brother – in – law and his girlfriend. They had been on the slopes of the nearby resort all morning long and then returned to the lodge for lunch at the four star restaurant that was the other main attraction. Wolf and Illya decided to head back to Wolf's rental while Napoleon and Eunice decided they would do a few more runs before heading home. That had been four hours ago.

Illya reached for his communicator. "Open Channel S, please. Napoleon? Napoleon, come in, please." His only answer was static. "Wolf, call the resort to see if perhaps they are having a drink at the bar." He watched and listened as Wolf called and asked for Navarre Solange and Eunice Jackson to be paged.

"I'm on hold," he explained and then turned his attention back to the phone. "No? You are sure? Then, I want to report them missing. Yes. I was expecting them back an hour ago. No, my brother – in – law and I are on our way back to the lodge. We will be there in half an hour." He hung up the phone and turned around in time to catch the jacket Illya tossed his way. "Eunice does not have survival training," Wolf said quietly as he put on his jacket, "If something has happened, she may not know what to do."

Illya grabbed the car keys and headed out the door with Wolf following. "Eunice may not be a trained agent, but she has common sense. If they are in trouble, I am glad Napoleon is with her and not one of his usual vapid companions."

The Ski Patrol was already out searching when they arrived back at the ski lodge. They wanted to go out searching too, but were informed that with the sun now set, they would be a liability because they were not as familiar with the area as the patrol. Illya was loathe to inform them that he was an UNCLE agent; even if he did, Wolf no longer had any ID to prove he was also a trained agent and he doubted seriously that the local authorities would let him venture out alone.

The patrol returned at nine citing the rapidly dropping temperatures and decreased visibility due to windblown snow as the reasons for calling off the search for the night. The lodge's management gave them a room and promised them the search would be resumed at first light.

When they entered the room, Illya sat down heavily on one of the twin beds and commented, "I will not lie, Wolf; I am worried, but I am confident that Napoleon will do the best he can to make sure they both are safe." An idea occurred to him then. "Wolf, how far away is Telluride?"

"About ten miles, but the drive is closer to fifty because of the terrain."

"Is there not a helicopter rental service at the Telluride airport?"

The German's face lit up with understanding. "I will be right back!" he called over his shoulder as he ran out the door. Twenty minutes later, he returned with a triumphant smile on his face. "Our helicopter will be here no later than seven – thirty tomorrow morning."

Illya began to get ready for bed. "We better rest; morning will be here before we know it."

MFUMFUMFUMFUMFUMFU

Napoleon and Eunice, or as she knew him, "Navarre," had enjoyed skiing so much that they had decided to stay awhile longer after Wolf and "Eddie" called it a day after consuming a huge lunch. They hit the slopes and laughingly raced each other downhill. The last slope they came down had arrows that pointed out a cross – country ski trail.

"Navarre honey, look! Let's ski that trail and see where it goes!"

Napoleon checked his watch. "Are you sure you want to? The sun will be behind the mountains in about an hour."

"We won't go too far. Besides, this trail circles back around to the lodge."

Napoleon smiled as he began to follow Eunice along the trail. "Let's go!"

It didn't.

They trekked along for close to fifty minutes before Eunice stopped to catch her breath. Napoleon, who had been slightly ahead, doubled back immediately. Coming alongside her he asked, "Are you alright?"

She shook her head quickly. "I'm fine, but I'm embarrassed. Honey, I think I was thinking of the other trail because this one ain't looking familiar anymore." She looked around and shuddered. "It's getting darker by the minute."

Her nervousness made Napoleon's protective nature come to the forefront. "If we just turn around and go back the way we came, we should be alright. I'll stay in front."

They began to retrace their tracks. As they moved along slowly, sudden movement off to Eunice's left made her shriek in surprise and caused Napoleon to twist around to see what was going on just as she began attempting to run in her skis. Instead, she got her skis tangled up with his and an agonizing pain ripped through his right leg as they collapsed intertwined on the ground. "Navarre! Omigod, what have I done! Hold on, honey!" she cried as she undid her boots and got on her knees so she could undo his. Once his legs were free from the skis, he grabbed his knee in agony. "Is it broken?" she asked as she rubbed his back in an effort to comfort him.

Napoleon tried to ignore the pain coursing through his body so he could assess the damage. "Ah, I…don't think so. Help me stand up, please." She got on his right side and slowly was able to help him up; but when he tried to walk, his leg gave out and she couldn't hold him. "You'll have to leave me, Eunice."

"Not on your life, honey! That might have been a bunny that scared me, but there are really big, scary critters out there and I don't want to run into any of them. I'll wait here with you; they'll find us soon."

Napoleon figured they were still on the trail, so she was probably right and he didn't argue. His knee was horribly wrenched, but he was sure it wasn't broken though it was extremely painful. _We'll be missed; someone will come soon._ He knew they were on one of the more remote trails and the other trails and runs would be checked first, but he was sure they would be found in no more than two hours.

Unfortunately, the wind picked up and the temperatures dipped down. Even huddled together, they were too exposed to the open air. _We'll die of exposure without shelter. _"Eunice, we need a way to get out of the open."

"How? There's no place we can go!" She sounded on the verge of panic.

"I think I saw a log about ten feet off the path. We'll build a snow shelter there." He pointed in the direction of the log.

"I see it. I can dig a hole in the snow, Darlin', but how am I going to get you over to it? You're too heavy for me. I'm sorry, Navarre."

Napoleon smiled and replied, "It's okay. You get started digging and I'll get over there even if I have to crawl. Go, hurry. It's getting windier." He watched her move quickly to the fallen tree and start making a space. Satisfied she was focused on her task, he began moving toward a tree to help prop himself up. He managed to hop from one tree to the next until he was side by side with Eunice. Grimacing against the pain, he began to help move snow.

MFUMFUMFUMFUMFUMFU

Illya and Wolf were airborne by seven forty – five the next morning. The pilot flew in a grid pattern designed to eventually cover the entire resort. On their third sweep, Wolf spotted something red fluttering in the breeze just inside the tree line. The chopper was able to land in a large clearing approximately a quarter mile away.

Illya and Wolf began hiking back toward where they had spotted what had appeared to be a flag. As they got closer, they could see it was a scarf tied to a ski that had been stuck upright in the snow. Illya and Wolf called, "Napoleon! Eunice! Can you hear us? Hello!"

The snow to the left of the ski started to move and they ran forward as Eunice and Napoleon uncovered themselves. Eunice got up and ran straight into Wolf's arms. "Wolfie, I have never been so glad to see you in my _life!_" she cried.

Napoleon held out his arm for Illya to help him out of the snow. "It's about time you showed up, Partner Mine! I swear, Wolf, every time I see you, it's an adventure," he chided playfully as he was pulled to a standing position. "My knee is wrenched pretty badly."

Illya put his arm around him. "I will help you to the chopper."

"We heard you fly over; I didn't know the lodge would send one to look for us."

Wolf interjected, "Illya and I rented one to look for you two."

Napoleon laughed, "Money is a wonderful thing to have, isn't it? By the way, Wolf, Eunice was very brave. She did the bulk of the digging and then went back to get one of the skis and tied her scarf around it before covering us with snow." He winked at her wickedly and added, "She snuggles great, too."

Eunice's shout of laughter was partially drowned out by the rotors of the helicopter powering up to take off.


End file.
